Over the past week, PFL has made headlines all around the sport of MMA. The promotion, which markets itself as an alternative to UFC programming, is coming off what many are considering the most important show since the brand’s launch, hosting a pay-per-view last weekend from Saudi Arabia. The show featured the triumphant return of Francis Ngannou and a massive win for featherweight legend Cris Cyborg.
The event, which seemingly overshadowed last weekend’s UFC “Fight Night” in MMA circles, was a big showcase for the promotion. But, it wasn’t the only reason the PFL has been in the news as of late. Reports on a PFL/Bellator fighter going into a coma after a failed weight cut last month surfaced recently, as did a recently filed lawsuit by MMA vet Gegard Mousasi.
For better or worse, fans have a lot of questions that the PFL hadn’t yet answered until recently. In an hour-long “Town Hall,” PFL Chairman Donn Davis spoke to MMA Fighting reporter Mike Heck and took questions from viewers. Here are the five biggest takeaways we gathered from the conversation.
Davis says no comments were made about Daiane Silva’s botched weight cut for her privacy.
The concerning news of Daiane Silva’s failed weight cut, which has kept her in the hospital for over a month and as of last week had her still sedated in a U.K. hospital, has included a big question mark for fans: Why didn’t PFL ever mention anything about it?
PFL has never put out a public statement regarding Silva’s medical issues, whether it be shortly after she was hospitalized or even weeks following the incident. And per Uncrowned’s Drake Riggs, PFL staff were told to keep quiet about the incident.
When asked about the promotion’s silence, Davis pushed back. He argued that the promotion wanted to respect Silva’s privacy, hence their radio silence regarding the issue.
“She was a first-time fighter for us, she experienced a very difficult weight loss which resulted in a medical emergency that was dealt with seriously and appropriately,” he said. “She’s been in long-term hospitalization, and we’ve done everything possible to support her recovery. And to say anything other than that is not our place. This is her business and her privacy. But everything I just said is the news, and that’s the news that is well known.”
Per the other top controversy facing PFL at the moment, a lawsuit filed by Gegard Mousasi alleging breach of contract, Davis declined to comment.
The Bellator brand might get killed off, but not for now at least.
During the conversation, MMA Fighting’s Heck picked up on a carefully worded phrase from Davis. While Davis mentioned the future of their “Champions Series,” a tour which was launched this year under the Bellator brand, Heck noticed that the PFL Chairman seemingly excluded ever saying “Bellator” while referring to the shows.
This made Heck pose a question to Davis: After Bellator cancelled two events this year, do they plan on keeping the brand alive much longer?
Davis promised that the last of Bellator hasn’t been seen yet, noting that they are hoping to do “stacked international events” in late December and January 2025. However, he was open about the fact that they were considering dropping the Bellator name.
“The Bellator brand is not resonating,” Davis told Heck. “It’s not resonating with fans, with commercial partners. So we have to look at that … We think it’s likely we’re going to make a change and everything will be PFL branded. But, we haven’t determined that yet. We’re still evaluating that.”
Davis knows pacing has been an issue.
For years, a major critique from viewers has been PFL’s pacing. Shows would last hours on end, at times going deep into the evening on weeknights.
Davis confirmed that the PFL has identified pacing as an issue in their broadcasts and stated they have made improvements during the promotion’s 2024 season. However, he noted that they’re not done working on it yet.
“We cut out about eight percent of the show in terms of time in 2024,” Davis claimed. “But still, people were saying ‘Nice, but not enough.’ So we have to do more. In 2025 it will be a faster-paced show.”
Davis mentioned a plan to shave the “Champions Series” down to just eight fights and make the events three-and-a-half hours long in total.
Boxing or MMA? Davis is open to all possibilities for the next Francis Ngannou fight.
Following Francis Ngannou’s first-round finish win over Renan Ferreria last weekend, many started to question what would be next for the former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Since Ngannou isn’t a regular season PFL fighter or any real rankings system which would help determine who he could face now, there’s no clear next challenger for him.
It was revealed recently that Ngannou is weighing all opportunities. He might go back to boxing for his next appearance, or he could stick around MMA for another fight. But Davis made one thing clear: PFL wants what Ngannou wants.
“He’s open to both opportunities. He talked to Pete Murray and I, he’s very close to Pete. He said ‘Let’s figure out what the best opportunity is.’ We said ‘We’re open to whatever you want to do also, Francis.'”
Other than PFL events, Davis doesn’t watch MMA.
In one of the moments which didn’t get the most positive reception online, Davis provided a possibly surprising answer when asked what his favorite fights of all time are: He doesn’t watch that much MMA.
“I’m aware of everything that’s going on because it’s important for business,” he noted. “But I don’t want to watch other people’s MMA shows for enjoyment. I get a lot of MMA. I don’t sit there and say ‘Let’s kick up and watch me a good KSW.’ Would never cross my head. I’m aware of everything from a business standpoint, but I would never sit there and say that’s my relaxation away from work.”
When further pressed on his favorite fights, including the PFL bouts that he has seen, Davis mentioned how he grew up watching boxing.
Davis ended the stream with one final grand reveal, leaving viewers with news that would be unequivocally positive: PFL’s usual end-of-year championship show would not be pay-per-view this time, and instead streaming on ESPN+ in the U.S.
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